Hey There Little Red Riding Bug
by tbehartoo
Summary: Chat Noir is getting to be friends with Marinette. A series of one shots.
1. Hey There Little Red Riding Bug

_Hey there little red riding hood_

 _You sure are lookin' good_

 _You're everything a big bad wolf could want_

Chat peered over the edge of the roof in the direction of the school's costume party. Too bad Adrien had been forbidden to attend. Chat Noir, on the other hand, had no such restrictions, He smiled.

Someone, dressed all in red, was running from the building. At first he thought it was Ladybug, but there were some differences he spotted right away. Well there was the actual lack of spots to begin with, as well as a much more frilly aspect to the costume. The unknown person wore a full cape and hood made from a silky material with a golden pattern sewn into a red background draped over a full black skirt with a white petticoat peeking out of the bottom. The party goer had finally started to slow in the mad dash from the school and from the set of the runner's shoulders it was apparent that they were upset and possibly already crying.

Chat couldn't allow that; this might be Hawkmoth's next akuma victim if he didn't act fast.

He dropped down a ways in front of the potential victim, under a streetlight so he could be recognized. Still, there was a gasp as he was seen, and the potential akuma victim raised a basket in readiness to throw at the attacker. Putting on his cheesiest smile, Chat slowly winked and began to sing in his best -Bad American- accent.

"Hey there little red riding hood," he waved a hand.

"You sure are lookin' good," he winked again then waggled his eyebrows as he pointed at his astonished audience.

"You're everything that a big bad wolf could want," he got down on all fours and then let out a howl.

"Ch-ch-chat? Chat Noir?" a voice asked timidly.

"The one and only," the cat boy said as he rolled into a somersault and sprang to his feet, ending in a dashing pose.

"What are you doing here?" the voice asked a little husky from crying.

"Well, I saw a damsel in distress and came rushing to her aid," he said with a smile. It seemed to fade a little as he started to stammer. "You are a damsel aren't you? I mean, I know it's a costume party, and anyone could dress-up as Little Red Riding Hood, but you look like a, I mean your costume kind of implies a bit of femininity, or ah …" He stopped with an embarrassed flush on his face with eyes dropping to the pavement. A small giggle gave him the courage to look up.

Slim hands pushed the hood away from the face of…

"M-m-marinette?" it was Chat's turn to practically stutter out the name. "What's got you all upset?" he asked in a kind voice.

"I'm not upset," she said as she wiped at her eyes. "I've just decided to go home now. That's all."

Chat patted his suit and finally found what he was looking for in a side pocket. He took out the small white square and handed it over without saying a word. Marinette took the handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes and then blew her nose. It was not the petite sound Chat had expected, and he grinned at the girl as he waved for her to keep the used linen when she tried to return it. He kept smiling and simply waited for her to start talking.

"There's this classmate of mine," she finally began. "She's never really been a good friend to me," she looked down at the pavement with a frown, "and sometimes she can be quite rude." She looked back up at Chat's face and he nodded to let her know he was listening. "So I really should have expected it when she said what she did about my costume after she accidentally", Mari put finger quotations around the word, "spilled her drink all over the front of my shirt."

"Chole can be quite vicious in her choice of words," Chat replied sympathetically.

Mari nodded then stopped suddenly. "I never said it was Chloe." She gave Chat a questioning look.

"Princess," he said with a small sigh, "half the akuma I've dealt with are the direct, or indirect, product of Chloe's words," he gave her half a smile. "It really wasn't that difficult to figure out."

"Oh."

There was silence as each was wondering what to say next.

Tears were gathering at the corners of Mari's eyes, and Chat swore he saw a black and purple moth fluttering toward the girl.

No time to think, time to act!

Chat grabbed the girl's right arm and lifted it high in the air as he got her into a fireman's lift then sprinted down the street carrying her like a sack of flour. Rushing headlong for a few streets turning first to the left then to the right the frantic cat boy attempted to get away from the evil butterfly.

"Chat, stop!" Mari cried hitting his back with her free hand, the one holding the basket; he didn't seem to feel it or hear her. "Put me down you alley cat!" Still he ran on. "Unhand me you mangy cur, or so help me, I'll tell Ladybug!"

Chat stopped suddenly at the mention of his Lady's name. Carefully, he put Mari's feet on the sidewalk as he straightened up. Still holding her close, green eyes peering intently at the face in front of him, he tried to assess if his classmate had been taken over by the evil insect. There was a bit of red around her cheeks, her lips were pursed, and startled blue eyes searched his for some kind of understanding.

"No sign of a purple butterfly mask, so that's good, right?" he mumbled almost too low for her to hear. All of a sudden he noticed just how close he was standing to the flustered girl. He was still holding tightly to her arms, gazing into those blue eyes that reminded him of someone else, and he was just the perfect distance to lean in and kiss her, if he wanted. At that thought he jumped back as if a bucket of water had been thrown at him.

"I'm so sorry Princess!" he held up his hands in an attempt to apologize. "I was worried that since you were upset about what Chloe had done to your beautiful costume you might be the next akuma because of course you should be upset when someone disrespects the amazing work you did on this, and then there was a butterfly, I swear on my nine lives it was there, and so I just had to try and outrun it," the words came tumbling out without a pause for breath. "I am so very, very sorry!"

There was the beginnings of a laugh from the girl in front of him. "Silly kitty! I don't think you can actually outrun an akuma butterfly, though you gave it a good try." She patted his shoulder, and he seemed to relax a bit. "I'm upset with Chloe, but not enough to get akumatized," she gave him a genuine smile, and he fully relaxed.

Silence.

"So, um, you're on your way to grandma's house little girl?" Chat asked with raised brows.

"What?" Mari was confused and then laughed as she remembered her costume. "Ah, yes, stranger wearing black leather and kitty ears. I am taking food and wine to my sick grandmama that lives deep in the middle of the woods." She held up the battered basket.

"You need to be careful and stay on the path, for I hear there is a big bad wolf prowling these parts," Chat tried to put on a serious expression but actually failed.

"You are right, mysterious yet kind stranger, those are the very words my Maman said to me when she sent me into the woods."

"Perhaps I should accompany you to Granny's house," Chat said earnestly. "I'd hate for the big bad wolf to gobble you up."

"Why thank you, stranger who is probably a kind soul hidden by magic here to advance the plot," Mari smiled at Chat's stunned reaction to her words. "I would very much appreciate you joining me on my journey." As they turned and started walking toward Marinette's house she asked, "How do I know you aren't the big bad wolf, kitty boy?"

Chat spluttered indignantly. "Me?! A Wolf?" He raised the back of one hand to his forehead while the other clutched at his chest. "My lady you wound me. You're calling me a …" He put up his hands between them and turned his face away. "No that's too terrible a thing to say."

"Chat?"

"My lady you've just accused me of being a DOG!"

They both burst into laughter.

As they walked into the darkness Marinette noted, "You did howl just a few minutes ago."

"Touché."


	2. I Don't Think Little Bugs Should Go Walk

_Little red riding hood_

 _I don't think little big girls should_

 _Go walking in these spooky old woods alone_

The akuma hit at a most opportune moment for Adrien. He had just finished legitimately using the bathroom pass when he heard the unmistakable sounds of an attack. Checking for anyone else in the room and finding it empty, Adrien transformed and Chat Noir stepped out of the boys' toilets. He looked through the corridors noting with a little pride that the akuma attack emergency plans he and his class had proposed to the school board were being implemented. Students were moving quickly and quietly in the direction opposite of the attack. Well almost all of the students were. He noted one pigtailed, black-haired head going straight to the source of the screaming heard outside.

"Princess!" he called as he ran after her.

Marinette ducked into a classroom that had already been evacuated. Chat burst through the door noting that Marinette had unslung the small pink purse that accompanied her everywhere and seemed to be opening it up.

"Chat!" the startled sound of her voice as she snapped her purse closed carried an annoyed undertone.

"Now is not the time to stop and powder your cute little nose, Princess," he said. "You need to get out of here."

"Chat I am well aware of the situation," she said dryly.

"I don't think you are," he said looking through the window to see the akuma heading straight for that side of the school. "You need to get out of here and leave this situation to Ladybug."

Mari's face screwed up into a frown. "I know that Chat. I'm perfectly happy to leave the rescuing to Ladybug." She jumped a little as a blast of something seemed to rock the school.

"Shouldn't you be out there?" she asked. "You know, helping to save the day and all?"

"I'll be able to help my Lady save the day once I know you are someplace safe," he said getting closer to Marinette.

"Don't be such a fraidy cat," she accused. "I will be fine if you could just go and take down that akuma."

"Marinette, I don't think you understand the seriousness of the situation. That akuma is throwing cars as easily as Ladybug throws her yo-yo," there was an unexplainable smirk on the girl's face, "And I don't know what those blasts are made of but they're rocking the school!" Chat exclaimed pointing out the window.

"Chat, I promise you I will be perfectly safe if you could just leave me here to go out and distract that akuma," her voice was rising and she seemed to be starting to panic.

"Marinette," Chat said quietly, pleadingly, "I really can't go out there if I think you are in danger."

Marinette was stunned into silence by the look on her chanton's face.

"Please," he looked straight into her eyes, "please let me take you someplace safer."

Another blast hit the building, causing it to shudder.

Nothing else for it. He grabbed Mari around her waist, she had helpfully put her arms up to protect her head from falling debris, and, hoisting her from the floor, he ran back out into the corridor. Once again Marinette found herself being carried like a bag of flour over Chat's shoulder. He took her to the nearest exit and deposited her with the rest of the class.

"Anyone else missing?" he asked the teacher.

"I'm only missing two students," Ms. Bustier said as she did another head count. "Both of them were out of the room at the time, they should be in the group with the head secretary." She nodded in the direction of the meeting place for those caught between classes. "Both Adrien Agreste and Alya Cesaire are missing."

"I know Adrien got out safely," he said with only a slight hitch in his voice. "I'll check that Alya's safe on my way back to the akuma, though we both know she's going to be much too close for comfort," he smiled and then grabbed his baton in order to vault to the school's roof. "Stay with your class, please?" he said in Marinette's ear quietly. Then he took off running, extended the staff and easily reaching the roof. "Never fear, Ladybug will soon be here," he called as he ran in the direction of the chaos.

"Not if you keep saving Marinette," the black-haired girl said to herself smiling at the memory of her kitten's plea in her ear. "Alya, look out!" she yelled and pointed in the direction of the school. When the teacher's back was turned she sprinted in the other direction.

"Finally decided to join the party, My Lady?" Chat called as they raced across the rooftops of Paris, chasing the fleeing akuma.

"Sorry, I would have been here sooner," Ladybug said with a familiar smirk, "but I had a black cat cross my path and ran into a streak of bad luck."

Chat stumbled and fell off the roof.


	3. What Blue eyes You Have

_What big eyes you have_

 _The kind of eyes that drive wolves mad_

Adrien wasn't allowed to attend the formal evening the school was putting on. Adrien wasn't allowed to be out without his bodyguard. Adrien also wasn't allowed to don magical body armor and go running across the rooftops of Paris. Currently he was doing two out of the three things while thinking about the first. He hadn't really been surprised when his father had vetoed the dance, but he had hoped that after two years of attending public school he'd be allowed to participate in school events a little more. Obviously that wasn't going to happen, yet.

At first he'd considered sneaking out as Chat and then showing up at the dance any way, but there was a problem with that: Chloe. She would most certainly be taking a lot of selfies and posting them to her Instagram. And Nathalie, who always monitored Chloe's social media, would undoubtedly have no qualms about notifying his father. So he couldn't go to the dance.

Nino had promised to send him lots of pics and texts, but Adrien was pretty sure most of them would be focused on Alya. Not that he minded having pictures of Alya fill his in box, but somehow it seemed wrong to have a lot of pictures of his best friend's girlfriend taking up most of the space in his photo gallery. And she would likely be sending him pictures and video of the dance, too. The only thing more awkward than a hundred pictures of your best friend's girlfriend is pictures of your best friend wearing his "I'm-so-in-love-with-you-right-now" face.

Suddenly a cry reached Chat's ears. He quickly changed directions and found himself across the road from- the Dupain-Cheng bakery? Another outburst helped him pinpoint the source of the commotion and he hurried to land on the roof above Marinette's bedroom.

Just as he was about to knock on the skylight he heard the unmistakable sound of Marinette being frustrated.

"Blast it Tikki, this just isn't working!" There was the sound of something small being thrown across the room. "No point in going anyway," he could practically hear the pout on his classmate's face, "I'll just be stuck being the third wheel to Nino and Alya." The thunk that followed this sounded like a head landing none too gently on a desk. "Maybe I'll just stay home and drown my sorrow in cookies."

He hated to hear her sound so discouraged so he gently rapped on the skylight.

A confused "Wha'?" followed by the sound of scrambling was heard coming from the room below. Finally a pair of wondering blue eyes were peeking at-

"Chat?"

"Good evening Princess," the boy said and bowed as Marinette pushed the hatch open more.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she climbed out of her room.

"Well I saw the Chat-signal in the sky," he pointed into the air, "jumped in my Chatmobile," he did a small hop in her direction driving an invisible car ending arm's distance from the slightly frowning girl, "and came...right...ooov-errr," his words trailed off as his eyes roamed across her face.

"Chat? Is something wrong?"

"Uh, Marinette," Chat seemed to be transfixed. "You have a little…" he stopped, "you have somethi-...," he reached a hand up to cup her face, "a little something on your face right here." He brushed his thumb across the top of her cheek just under her eye. A black streak followed the path of the digit. "Oh," he pulled his hand away quickly, "I think I made things worse. Sorry about that."

Marinette stared at Chat for a moment then put her own hand to her cheek and traced the path his thumb had traveled. She looked at her fingers then sighed.

"You didn't make anything worse Chat." Seeing the unconvinced look on her kitty's face she added, "I was already having trouble with my make up." She smiled ruefully and said, "To be honest, you probably improved things."

"Nonsense Princess! You always look lovely," he said earnestly.

Marinette scoffed, "Whatever Chat."

"No, really Marinette," he said. "Everytime I see you, you look beautiful."

Silence.

"So, uh," he was desperately trying to think of something to say. "You were having trouble with your makeup?"

"Um, yeah," Marinette whispered.

"Well you're in luck!" he said a bit too loud. "I may be able to help you with that."

"Is that something you usually do?" Marinette asked suspiciously.

Chat gave her an astonished look. "Princess, I'm one of the heroes of Paris! Helping out the citizens of our fair city is something I do on the regular."

"And what makes you think you can help me tonight?"

"Well," he gave her a Cheshire grin, "I can help you tonight because I happen to know a thing or two about applying makeup."

That surprised her. "You do?"

"Yes. I really do. I do a terrifically smouldering smoky eye," he said waggling his eyebrows.

Marinette thought for a moment then came to a decision. She turned and beckoned for him to follow her into the room.

Chat had Marinette wash her face then put on the dress she was wearing to the dance. He had her sit in one of her rolling chairs, facing away from her mirror, and draped a towel across her front to keep anything from getting on her dress.

"I think we should go with a little darker pink on your lips than you do every day," he began, lost in thought, "but I don't think your blush should be changed." He was organizing her makeup as he spoke. Soon he was holding up different eyeshadows nodding at some and frowning at others. "You'll probably need the waterproof mascara since it'll be hot when you're dancing, and…." he turned to look at her deep in concentration. "Do you have eyeliner?"

Marinette ducked her head. "I got frustrated with it and threw it across the room." Chat broke out in a chuckle. "I think it ended up under the chaise," she admitted blushing slightly.

Chat got on his hands and knees and fished under the furniture. Eventually he emerged victorious holding the little black tube.

"You should be nicer to your eyeliner," he commented as he put it with the rest of the makeup.

"I'll be nicer to it when it stops being difficult," Marinette muttered darkly.

"Princess, the trick with liquid eyeliner is to be confident," Chat said as he started to apply foundation to Marinette's face. "It can sense fear," he added.

Later, Marinette gaped in delight when he finally spun her to face the mirror. She could hardly believe that was her face she was seeing. She looked so elegant, so grown up.

"Oh, thank you Chat!" she cried.

She turned to face him, grinning. Chat was absolutely stunned. He had been looking at Marinette's face for the past twenty minutes, but her smile added a beauty that couldn't be applied with a brush.

"The pleasure is entirely mine," he managed to reply. He shook his head to clear it a little. "You'd better hurry to the ball Princess, you're coach will turn into a pumpkin at midnight you know."

Marinette looked at her clock. "You're right. I'm late," she cried. She hurried around her room grabbing a shawl and her handbag for the evening. After checking that she had everything, she came back to Chat.

"Thank you for doing this for me," she said fervently. "I know it's not battling an akuma, but you still saved me. So thank you." She stood on tiptoe and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, uh, you're, you're welcome," he stammered. "I'll uh, just be off then since you'll be going to a dance."

Marinette moved toward the loft, but he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"I'll let myself out," he said softly smiling. "Go and have a good enough time for the both of us."

Marinette smiled back at him, "Ok, thanks again."

"Anytime," he replied.

He ran across the rooftops hoping to get home in time to call Alya before Marinette arrived. He wanted to hear her reaction to his Princess's entrance, and hoped she'd get a good picture of his killer cat eye.


	4. I Oughta Walk With You For a Ways

_Just to see that you don't get chased_

 _I think I oughta walk with you for a ways_

Alya had been too close, much too close to the akuma attack, but that was nothing new. Fortunately Ladybug had been able to break the akuma's cursed baton just as Chat tackled the reporter to the ground, saving her from a powerful blast. Ladybug hadn't even stuck around for their traditional fist bump. Almost as soon as Chat had helped Alya to her feet, reminding her, again, that she really needed to stay a safe distance from any akuma attacks, Marinette was smothering the reporter in a hug.

"Please don't ever do that again," Marinette sobbed into her friend's shoulder. "I couldn't bear it if...if something happened to you." She continued to cry into Alya's embrace.

"Mari," Alya said as she patted her friend on her back, "I'm fine. Chat and Ladybug always protect me. Nothing bad is going to happen with them around."

Chat knew that Alya was trying to comfort her emotional friend, but he really didn't like having to watch out for the teenaged reporter every time there was an akuma attack. He was thinking about telling her this, but was held in check by the sight of a distraught Marinette.

"Alya!" her voice was harsh now, "You cannot simply rely on Ladybug and Chat Noir to protect you every time you put yourself in danger!" She pushed back from her friend and held her by the shoulders. "They can't always be fighting an akuma and...and...and babysitting you at the same time!"

"Babysitting me?" Alya had the nerve to sound affronted.

"Yes, babysitting you," Mari looked ready to shake the other girl. "Because only a small child or an imbecile would repeatedly run into a dangerous situation just to get a better view and I refuse to believe you're an imbecile."

Alya was glaring at Marinette until the black haired girl whispered, "Alya, you could have died and there's no proof that Ladybug could bring you back from that." Alya's scowl changed into a look of contrition.

She looked over at Chat. "I'm sorry for making your work more difficult for both you and Ladybug," she apologized. She looked back at Marinette. "I promise you I won't get that close again, Mari."

"Thank you!" she was again clinging onto the taller girl.

Chat felt that he ought to get them to move along. People were staring and Chat noticed that there were phones pointed in their direction.

"Um, thank you Alya for that promise. I know that Ladybug will be as glad as I am to hear you will keep yourself at a safer distance." He put his body in front of the crowd and then started herding the two girls in the opposite direction. "I think you should take your friend home, she looks really upset."

Alya looked down at her distraught friend. "I think we'll go to my place since it's closer. Is that okay with you Mari?"

There were a few hiccups from the black haired girl, but she managed to nod in agreement.

"Ok, look after her," Chat said. He patted Marinette gingerly on the back. "Cheer up little lady, I promise you that Ladybug and I will always take care of your friend. Especially if she keeps back like she promised." Chat's statement didn't seem to have the calming effect he'd hoped for. He noticed that Mari clutched her friend's hand at his words.

The sight of Alya with an arm protectively around Mari's shoulders stayed at the front of his mind for the rest of the day. So much so that after he had given Plagg about half a wheel of camembert, he put the suit back on and waited on a rooftop across from Alya's apartment. He had called Alya before transforming, saying he'd seen a video and wondering if she and Mari were ok. He found out that both girls had calmed down and that Marinette was still at Alya's house. He really wanted to know why Mari seemed to have so little faith in him and Ladybug. Her doubt was eating a hole in his stomach.

Eventually a familiar pair of pigtails emerged from the front of the building. Her walk was so very un-Marinette that Chat could hardly believe that this was the same girl that sat behind him in class. He hurried to get ahead of her and sat on the front steps of the building she would have to pass to get home. He struck a pose and plastered his best smile on his face waiting for her to notice him. He was sadly disappointed when the girl merely passed by, her red-rimmed and puffy eyes merely gazing at the sidewalk in front of her.

When this happened for the third time he decided that desperate measures were required.

"Marinette?" he called softly as he stood behind her.

Startled, she turned around. "Chat? What are you d-doing here?"

"Honestly?" the black-clad superhero put a hand on her shoulder, "I was really worried about you." He kept his voice low as he continued, "You were so upset with what happened to Alya I was worried the next akuma might be you."

A small, "Oh" was all she could reply. She took one look at his genuinely worried face and gave him a wan smile. "I guess I kind of overreacted back there, sorry for worrying you."

"Don't apologize for your feelings," Chat was quick to say. "One of the things that I admire about you Marinette is that you tell people exactly how you're feeling. It's a good thing to do."

This time Marinette's smile was a little more sure. "I'm afraid that sometimes it's not what I do and it doesn't usually turn out well when I do speak up."

Chat shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. If more people would just tell others how they're feeling I wouldn't have half the akumas to battle that I do."

Mari's face fell when he mentioned the akumas.

"Marinette, something is bothering you right now," he said. "Could you please tell me what it is?"

She opened her mouth to say something when they both heard the sound of a camera taking photos.

"Come with me," Chat said, grabbing her hand and racing down the road. He turned down one alley and then another. They hid in a shadow until they were sure they weren't being followed.

"This is no place to have a nice chat," he said looking around at the trash bins that lined the alley. He looked up and smiled. "Marinette, do you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Chat," she immediately replied.

He took out his baton and stepped close to the girl. "Can you put your arms around my neck and hold on tight for a bit?"

She looked skyward and smiled as she realized what he had planned. "You promise not to drop me?"

"I promise," he said raising his right hand in the air. "Chat's honor."

It was but the work of a moment for Chat to hold Mari tight around her waist and extend the baton to take them to roof height. He made sure she was securely on the roof before letting go. Marinette was just slightly more hesitant to let go, but eventually she removed her arms from around his neck.

"Let's find someplace to sit," he suggested.

Eventually they found a spot where one roof was slightly higher than its neighbor making a perfect seat for them.

They sat looking at each other for a bit, but neither one knew what to say.

"Okay, maybe I should go first since this was my idea," Chat finally said. "Marinette, I'm worried because you are one of the happiest and most upbeat people I've ever met, but today you were a sobbing and clingy mess." She looked ready to object, but he simply continued, "This is so out of character for you that I can't help but think something must be going on. Can you tell me what is bothering you so badly?"

"Do you promise not to laugh?"

Her voice was so timid that Chat was taken by surprise again. "This is no laughing matter, Princess," he reassured her. "But if it will make you feel better, then I promise not to laugh."

Marinette turned to face forward. She looked up into the darkening sky seeing the lights from the city reflecting off of the low hanging clouds. "The truth is Chat, I've been having nightmares."

Chat merely faced forward and waited for her to continue.

"I-i-in my nightmares there are always akumas, and they are nothing like the akumas that we've been having. They do things like melt people's faces off and rip off limbs while I am tied up and unable to move." She shuddered. "I have to sit there and watch while my parents are baked in their own ovens or Nino's ears bleed from a sadistic music akuma. Sometimes Alya gets turned into data and deleted forever," a small sob escaped her, "and Adrien he, he gets..." She took a deep breath. "My friends and family are always hurt in a personal and deeply disturbing way." She looked over at him. "I've even had nightmares where you're cataclysm power is turned back on you, and I have no choice but to watch you scream and writhe as you slowly dissolve into black ashes." There were tears running down her face. "A-a-and Ladybug? her Lucky Charm can never FIX things! I-I-I yell, and yell and try to get it to work but the damage stays done," she paused before whispering, "I lose everyone." She started to cry again into her hands.

Chat instinctively put an arm around her shoulders. She turned into his chest and hugged him close to her. "I'm so sorry," she said between sobs.

He reached into a pocket and handed her a handkerchief. "Please, don't be sorry for crying," he said softly as he gently rubbed circles between her shoulder blades. "Nightmares are so hard to deal with, Princess, because they can feel so very real." She nodded her head in agreement, but didn't sit up or let go. "And even though your head knows it's not real, sometimes your emotions don't get that message."

"That is too true," she said into his shoulder.

"Have you told your parents about these dreams?" he asked.

She shook her head and then whispered, "They already worry so much about me. I don't want to give them another thing to be concerned over."

"Want to know a secret?" he asked conspiratorially.

She sat back to look up at him while wiping the moisture from her eyes.

"This is something you can't tell anyone," he said. "Not even Ladybug."

There was the ghost of a smile on her lips but she said, "I promise she won't hear it from me."

"Sometimes I have those kinds of nightmares, too," he said quietly. Her obviously startled expression made him smile. "I know you think I'm too strong and cool to have nightmares, but it's true."

"What do you do when you have them?" she timidly asked.

"Well, if it's close to the time I'm supposed to wake up, I'll take a shower and get ready for the day. I do that to tell my brain it's a new day and I won't let that nightmare follow me into it. Then, I'll open a word document and write it all out. I print the paper, and here's the fun part," he said with a little smirk, "I cross out all the words with a pen or marker, tear up the paper into little pieces, and then burn the whole thing in the fireplace."

"And that works?"

"Most times, but not always," he admitted.

"What do you do when they happen in the middle of the night?" she asked more than a little curious.

"That depends, but if it was a really bad nightmare I'll get up and change into new pajamas. I'll remake my bed, light a scented candle, and read a funny book for a bit. I have a special music mix that my friend made for me. It's full of soothing music and songs that make me smile. So when I feel calmer I'll blow out the candle and get back into my freshly made bed and then wait for the music to put me to sleep."

Marinette looked thoughtful for awhile. "But, do you ever have them come back night after night?"

"Yes, and when that happens I have to do something really difficult."

"What's that?"

"I have to tell my father and he makes an appointment for me to see my doctor."

Marinette was quiet for a while leaning her head on Chat's shoulder.

"There's nothing wrong with asking for help, Marinette," he whispered. "Especially when there's something that's robbing you of your joy and happiness."

"You're right," she said softly.

"Will you promise me that you'll talk to your parents about these nightmares?" he asked. "I happen to know you aren't the first one in Paris to have akuma problems this way."

She didn't say anything, seeming to weigh all her options. "Ok, I can do that."

He put his arm, the one she was leaning on, around her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. She leaned into his body, putting the arm nearest him behind his back, and gave him a side armed hug back.

They remained sitting together like that for some time.

Eventually Chat became aware of a soft snore coming from the person sitting next to him.

"Time to get you home, Princess," he said. When Marinette didn't respond, he turned so that he could get his free arm under her knees and then lifted the sleeping girl in his arms. She shifted a little so that her head rested in the crook of Chat's neck.

"At least hold on tight Marinette," he said with a slight grumble.

She complied by bringing her hands together over the opposite shoulder. Chat merely smiled.

He gently carried the sleeping girl back to her own home. It had been a challenge to get her there, but he knew the rooftops well enough that he didn't have to make any big jumps to get back to the bakery. There was one moment where he had to have Plagg phase through the skylight and unlock it for him, but otherwise things went as smoothly as it was possible while carrying a sleeping girl across Paris.

He laid Marinette on her bed, took off her shoes, and pulled her blanket up over her shoulders. He very gently ruffled her hair before leaving.

"Fais de beaux rêves, Princess."


	5. Sure to Lure Some Chat, Bad

_What full lips you have_

 _They're sure to lure someone ba_ d

The first time Chat saw Marinette on her balcony was after that mess with the Evillustrator. He had been doing a patrol when she had called out to him and waved. He stopped to wave back and was going to continue on, but decided he might as well check in on his classmate. They chatted for a few seconds mentioning the weather and how she was doing, then he said good bye and went on his way.

The next time Chat ran across Marinette on her balcony he literally ran across her as she was sunning herself on the roof. He'd been in a hurry to get to an akuma attack and hadn't seen her laying on the towel. He apologized profusely and explained where he was going in such a rush and then took off. Afterward he brought a bouquet of flowers to apologize properly, but she wasn't home. He left the flowers and a note and went home.

The third time Chat carefully studied the balcony before approaching with a small offering of wildflowers. He saw Marinette sitting on her pink deck chair drawing. Since he knew that artists shouldn't be interrupted while working he turned to leave but froze when Mari asked him to stay where he was. She gave him a few directions like where to hold the flowers or asking him to tilt his head a certain way, and he complied. Later she showed him the sketch she had made. She complimented him for being able to pose such a long time without moving, but he brushed it off as nothing. He did ask for a copy of the picture. Mari told him that if he could come back the next evening she'd have it ready for him in exchange for the flowers he'd given her.

An akuma attack kept him from being able to meet Marinette. When he stopped by the rooftop much later he still found the picture and a small box of macaron waiting for him. He smiled at the present and decided that she needed something to thank her for the gift.

Chat returned a few evenings later to leave a box of oil pastels and a couple of charcoal pencils in a safe place on her balcony. He nearly got caught by Marinette and Alya, but just barely escaped. The squeal of Alya discovering his note could still be heard three buildings away. He was afraid that poor Marinette might have trouble explaining the gift. Adrien was careful to be suitably impressed when Alya told the whole class that Marinette had received a thank you present from Chat Noir for giving him some cookies to recharge during an akuma battle. Later Chat Noir had to beg the citizens of Paris not to leave cookies laying out during akuma attacks just on the off chance that he might need them. Plagg was laughing for a week about that, though he was quick to suggest they switch to camembert.

When Chat saw Marinette next she had been waiting for him. Manon had a present for him and she had promised to find a way to get it to the hero. She jokingly mentioned that she had contemplated asking Ladybug to deliver it for her, but that she had really wanted to give it to him herself so she didn't mind staying up a few nights on the off chance he might come by. They discussed all sorts of possible signaling devices and ended up laughing together when Chat suggested a spotlight with a Chat Noir decal, on Mari's balcony à la The Bat-Signal. The idea had been rejected in favor of a better arrangement, better to Marinette's mind in any case. Chat had patrols on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights so if there wasn't an akuma he would be sure to go home via the bakery. If Marinette wanted him to stop by she'd put a Chat Noir decal in the window and leave a lamp on for him to be able to see it.

He returned home that evening clutching the felt puppets that Manon had made with a little help from Marinette (Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Manon of course). He dropped his transformation and fed Plagg. Adrien couldn't help but smile each time he looked at the gift. Looks like Chat would be seeing a lot more of that balcony.


	6. Until You Get to Manon's Place

_So until you get to Grandma's place_

 _I think you ought to walk with me and be safe_

~Chat shows up in time to help Marinette babysit Manon~

Chat had started his patrol a little early. It was good for the citizens of Paris to see their champions when there wasn't an akuma around. Truth be told, he enjoyed these moments, too. He liked having an opportunity to help people, especially at the end of their day when they were tired, hungry, and heading home, so he spent his free afternoons looking for opportunities to spread some happiness. It might be through carrying groceries for an elderly lady or giving a bit of confection to an unhappy gentleman that he tried to spread some cheer, but he felt that adding joy to Paris was another way to fight Hawkmoth.

"Manon, please!" the pleading voice came from the park, "We have to leave now."

He slowed as he neared the last building before the park. The sight that greeted him made him chuckle. Marinette was obviously searching for someone and Chat was guessing it was the small girl with a Ladybug mask and yo-yo that was sneaking along behind her. The sight of the girl sneaking into the center of a planter where she would most certainly be well hidden gave him an idea.

He waited until Marinette's back was turned and then used his staff to lower himself behind the bushes. The surprised look on the little girl's face was replaced by a slow grin when she saw that Chat Noir had a finger across his smiling lips, trying to indicate that they had to be quiet, as he joined her in the hideout. They both peeked out to see a grumbling Marinette looking in trees and around other shrubbery.

Marinette might not have found them so quickly if Chat's tail hadn't been waving around above their heads, unbeknownst to the two hiding figures.

"Manon!" Marinette cried as she parted the bushes to find her charge and the superhero were laughing together. "I was so worried that something bad had happened to you!"

"I was safe! Chat's with me," the little girl pointed out.

"And how do we even know that is the real Chat Noir?" Marinette asked tersely as she helped the little girl down from the planter. "For all you know it's someone dressed up as Chat that's trying to kidnap you!"

"Princess, I'd never!" came the startled exclamation as Manon simultaneously cried, "I'm Ladybug! I'd know the real Chat Noir any place."

They both looked at each other grinning and gave a high five.

"See?" Manon said, as if that settled things.

Marinette frowned at the child before turning to Chat, who cringed back a bit. "Thank you for keeping Manon safe while she hid from me. It does make me feel better knowing that you were with her."

"Any time, Princess," he said with a smile. "Keeping all the citizens of Paris safe and happy is what I live for."

"Ok, Manon," Marinette's attention was back on her charge, "Tell Chat thanks and let's get you home."

"But I don't want to go home yet!" Manon began in a whining voice. "Chat just got here and he needs his Ladybug!" She held onto the superhero's hand looking up at him with her best puppy-dog eyes. "Right?"

Suddenly Chat gasped and pointed at Manon's ears. "My Lady, you're running out of time! Quick, hide behind this tree!" He shifted Marinette's arms out to make branches and moved Manon behind her sitter. "Don't let anyone see you transform back!"

Caught up in Chat's story the girl quickly took off her mask and yo-yo emerging from behind her Mari-tree with a "ta-da!"

"Well hello there Manon," said Chat as if just spotting her there. "You haven't by any chance seen Ladybug around here have you?"

"Yes, she went that way" Manon pointed in two different directions.

"Would you be able to help me find her?" he asked with a wink at Marinette who seemed to catch onto his plan immediately.

"Yes, of course!" the little girl eagerly grabbed his hand and started heading back into the park.

"Um, I think I saw her heading that way actually," Marinette said as she pointed in the direction of the park entrance.

"Thanks Princess," Chat said as he started toward the exit, but Manon dug in her heels.

"She's definitely not that way Chat!"

Chat knelt next to the slightly struggling girl. "Say princess, have you ever had a piggyback ride before?"

"I'm not Princess, that's Marinette's name," she said flatly throwing Chat slightly off his train of thought.

"How would you like Duchess?"

Manon shook her head. "I wanna be Little Princess!"

"Ok, Little Princess, have you ever had a piggyback ride before?"

"Yes, they're boring," she informed him.

"I bet you've never had a Kitty-Chat ride though," he said with a grin waggling his eyebrows. "They are much more fun than a boring, old, piggyback ride." He looked up into the child's face. "I'd like to give you one. Would that be ok?"

Immediately Manon threw herself at him. He lifted the girl onto his shoulders and held onto her legs as they dangled down the front of his chest. Then he stood up and Manon squealed in delight. Chat started running and twirling around the grass, slowly getting closer to the park's gate. Marinette had to run to gather their stuff and saw Chat turning in slow circles just outside the fence.

"If you don't want to be in the wrong you've got to always be **right**!" she called to him.

A huge grin broke out on his face as he quickly figured out which direction would be Marinette's right and headed that way pointing into the sky and asking LP if she saw a flash of red.

Chat had fun as he and Manon raced down the street stopping to look in shop windows and darting through crowds. They even decided on getting a crepe as hunting for superheroes is hard work. Manon began munching eagerly as Chat patiently waited to hand Marinette her part of the treat. He made sure that he and Manon didn't get too far ahead of the babysitter, but it was easy to get lost in their game.

He was genuinely sad when told that there was "no where **left** to go" in front of the large apartment complex. Marinette caught up with them and pushed the button to call the Chamack's so that they could be buzzed in, while thanking Chat for helping her with Manon. To everyone's surprise the outer door suddenly opened. It was being pushed by none other than Madam Chamack.

"Mama!" Manon cried practically hurling herself off of Chat's shoulders into the woman's arms. "Chat brought me home and now he's my boyfriend."

"What?" a surprised Marinette and Madam Chamack said in unison.

"Wh-what?" Chat choked out. And stared between Marinette and Madam Chamack, looking for a life line.

"You gave me a special name, bought me food, and we had fun together," Manon said matter of factly as her mother set her down. "That makes you my boyfriend."

Madam Chamack laughed, "Manon's cousin has just started dating and we talked about boyfriends and girlfriends last night." She looked down at her child and said, "I guess you forgot that you have to be much, much older before you start dating?"

"Oh yeah," she looked at Chat. "I guess you're dumped."

Both Marinette and Madam Chamack started laughing together.

"But Manon, I never asked you to be my girlfriend!" Chat said as he knelt to be at her eye level, still obviously shocked to have both gained and lost a girlfriend in so short a time.

Manon rolled her eyes and informed him, "Boys never know they are the boyfriend until the girl tells them." She patted him on the shoulder, "Besides you still have Marinette as your girlfriend so you'll be ok."

This time Madam Chamack was the only one laughing as Marinette and Chat both blushed and began protesting that this simply was not so. She was still chuckling as she handed Marinette her pay for tending Manon and took her daughter to the elevator.

There was some strained silence before Marinette said, "So…Chat..."

"Yes?"

"I, uh, think I probably ought to share this money with you since you helped me a lot with Manon."

"No, Prince- Marinette," Chat corrected quickly, "I enjoyed helping. I think I had as much fun as Manon did."

"Okay, but you've dealt with puppy-eyes, running, twirling, Manon bouncing up and down, and now a near death by embarrassment," Marinette said as she smiled. "I think I ought to be able to do something with this money to reimburse you for all that."

Chat held up a hand. "Payment isn't necessary," he leaned in a little, "and Ladybug would make herself a new kitty-skin rug if she thought I ever took money for helping."

"True," Marinette agreed. "What if I were to treat you to an ice cream cone? In exchange for the crepe you bought for Manon and me," she hastily added.

Chat thought for a moment, trying to see if there would be a downside to this proposition.

"I think even Ladybug would be okay with it," she added with a smile.

"Okay," he finally agreed.

In the end they agreed to go to a shop that neither one had been in, but had heard good things about. Fortunately they walked in as the only customer was leaving. It made Mari's paying for the superhero a bit less awkward.

Later that evening, the Ladyblog was inundated with reports of Chat Noir carrying an unknown person piggyback across Paris.


	7. Gonna Keep My Chat Suit On

Chat is Adrien. Marinette likes Chat, but not really Adrien? So what should he do? Obviously hang around more as Chat

 _Gonna keep my sheep suit on_

 _'Til I'm sure that you've been shown_

 _That I can be trusted walking with you alone_

It was Saturday night and Chat had just finished his patrol. Truth be told, he had cut it a little short because he was heading over to Marinette's house and he didn't want to be late.

The Chat Signal, as he insisted that Marinette call it, had worked well. It had Chat stopping by once or, rarely, twice a week. Usually he stopped by on Tuesday and if Mari was free they'd play a couple of rounds of a video game or watch a few episodes of reality shows. Mari's favorite shows were either fashion design challenges or special effect artists competitions, while Chat's were the ballroom dancing or lip-syncing shows. Chat was careful to leave after only an episode or two because he didn't want to keep Marinette up late. Though she often asked if he'd like to stay for 'just one more.'

One week Chat stopped by when the light was on but his picture wasn't in the window. Marinette joined him on her balcony, claiming she needed a break from her science homework. Chat could hear the frustration in Marinette's voice as she talked about the situation. A few moments of discussing the chemistry problem Marinette had been stuck on found Chat explaining the specific heat of water and how that made life as we know it possible. His explanation went over so well that Marinette had given Chat a big thank you hug then scurried off to finish the problem while she still understood it. Her thank you gift, a chocolatine, had not influenced his decision to ask Mari if she'd like to review her science homework on Thursday nights, though it helped. Marinette had jumped at the opportunity to have Chat look over her work, "But you can't do it for me!" After a few weeks, Chat and Marinette were going over her science, math, and literature homework every Thursday. Marinette found her grades improving and Chat found himself receiving a different pastry as thanks each time.

Now Chat found himself spending Saturday nights helping Marinette make Christmas presents for her entire class before the winter break. She had found some ideas for no-sew projects using fleece fabric and was working to make unique hats and scarves for all of her classmates. She had cut out all the pieces but had confessed to Chat that cutting and tieing all the fringe was slowing her down. She had sadly admitted that she would probably finish getting everything together, but wouldn't have time to put any special embellishments on her presents. Chat volunteered to help eagerly citing the fact that "I **can** tie a knot Mari, so I wouldn't be **totally** useless." After a mishap with the first hat, it was decided that Mari would cut and Chat would tie. They were working on the last few tonight. Chat was looking forward to seeing how Mari would add her signature touch to the various warm garments they had produced.

"There's just one more I need you to do," Mari said. "This one actually had to be sewn, but I'd like you to put some fringe on the ends." She hesitated before handing it over. "It's kind of a secret Santa gift for a friend we both know, so you can't peek, ok?"

"Really?" he asked, his curiosity starting to get the better of him as he started trying to get a closer look.

"Chat!" Mari tried to take back the parcel.

Chat laughed while maintaining his grip on the present, "I promise not to look Princess." The package was wrapped in brown paper with something like red and black scarf ends hanging out. "Though we have very few friends in common, so I promise not to tell Ladybug, okay?"

Mari's stunned face and sudden blush made Chat think that perhaps Marinette was as much of a Ladybug fan as he was. "I thought that maybe you'd like to cut the fringe for this one?" she said slowly handing him the scissors.

"Really?" Chat's face lit up. "Can I do those curly ones?"

"Of course!" Marinette smiled. "Just remember you have to cut the strips really thin and stretch them really gently or they will break on you. There will probably be a few broken ones no matter how careful you are," she warned.

Chat sat with the scissors in hand happily cutting and curling the fringe, while Marinette sewed buttons, bows, flowers, or other decorations on finished hats and scarves. Once he reached an end, there were red and black curls on the scarf and a few fringe pieces that had broken off on his lap, but he was proud of his work. He called Marinette over to observe his handiwork. She took it from him and expertly tucked the ends into the brown wrapper. He used the rest of his time to help wrap the presents that Marinette had completed to her satisfaction.

Adrien had been very happy to watch the class open their presents. It gave him a pleasant feeling seeing his friends enjoy the gifts that he had secretly helped with. He was amazed to find that the hat he received was a perfect compliment to the scarf his father had given him on his birthday.

It was Chat who had the greater surprise when later that night Ladybug handed him a present saying it was from their mutual friend. Inside of the familiar red and green wrapping paper was a package wrapped in brown paper with a curl of red sticking out.

Chat paused for a moment then said, "That sneaky girl!"

"What's the matter, Chat?" Ladybug asked amused.

"That sneaky, tricksy Marinette had me wrap my own present!" he declared indignantly.

Ladybug burst out laughing as she snapped a photo on her yo-yo. "I promised her I'd get a pic of the moment you figured it out," she explained.

"You were in on this?"

"Well...yes?" she said with a shrug. "I did deliver it. I want to know what's inside."

Chat looked entirely betrayed.

"Open it up, Chaton," she urged. "I'm supposed to report back if you like it or not."

"Ok, but this is done under protest," he jokingly grumbled. He carefully tore open the paper. Inside was a double sided hood with an attached scarf. One side was black with cat ears lined in green satin, the other was red with black spots and a couple of springy red antennae, small pompoms on the ends. He reverently lifted the garment from the paper.

"Do you like it?" her tone was uncertain.

"No," he shouted and Ladybug's smile faltered but an enormous grin lit his features, "I LOVE IT!" He quickly put it on with the red side out. "Take a picture of me as Ladybug," he insisted and struck a pose as if he were calling for Lucky Charm. "Now take a picture of me **with** Ladybug!" Several more pictures were taken both on his own and with his partner. He even had Ladybug put on the Chat Noir side and took her picture! Then he reviewed the pictures and picked the one he felt was the best to send with his thanks.

"Thanks fur the fan-cat-stick purresent Princess!"

That night Adrien lay in bed clutching the present from Marinette. He had to find some way to be able to wear it out and about. After all, it was a present from his favorite girl.


	8. I'd Like to Hold You If I Could

Chat realizes he likes Mari, but is afraid that she'll think he's just being an alley cat if he tells her after he's professed his love for Ladybug so publicly.

 _Little red riding hood_

 _I'd like to hold you if I could_

 _But you might think I'm a big bad wolf so I won't_

"You're being awfully quiet tonight Chat," Mari said as she glanced over at the boy lounging on the chaise. They were supposed to be watching a cheesy American movie that was supposed to be a Christmastime classic. Usually during a movie she and Chat would be making snarky remarks about characters or costumes, but tonight he hadn't said a thing. "Is something bothering you?"

"Sorry about that Princess," he said as he looked up at the ceiling, "just thinking about something."

"What's on your mind?"

He was quiet for another moment before sitting up abruptly. "Ok, there is something going on," he said, "but it's in my non-superhero life and I'm not sure how much I can say."

"Oh," Marinette said slowly. She paused the movie and set the bowl of popcorn on her desk."Is it something you want to talk about?"

"Yes because I need some advice," he looked sheepishly at Marinette before adding, "Female advice."

"Oh?" Marinette said with a grin. "Is the great Chat Noir having girl problems?"

"Wh-what?" he looked absolutely shocked. "Why would you think that? I'm not having problems. There are no problems happening with me, least of all girl problems." He huffed and sat with arms crossed. "I'm feeling very attacked right now," he said petulantly. When Mari didn't say anything he added, "I've been through hundreds of akuma attacks, so I know what I'm talking about when I say I'm being attacked."

Marinette merely scoffed and waited for him to come clean. Finally he dropped his exaggerated manner.

"I have this friend," he began.

"A friend," she echoed.

"Yes," he nodded vigorously. "And this _friend_ came to me because he knows that I give the best advice," Marinette snorted, he ignored her to continue with, "but I have to admit that I don't really know how to advise him in this situation."

"Okay, so what's his problem?"

"Well, he's liked this one girl for a very long time, like from the moment he met her he's liked her a lot, and he's told everyone that he likes this girl."

"You mean like you and Ladybug," Marinette said with a wolfish grin.

"Princess, we are not talking about Ladybug!"

"But you and Ladybug are such a cute couple," Mari started off.

"If you're not going to take this seriously then I'm not going to talk to you about this," he declared.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. She put one hand on his shoulder in apology. "Please continue and I'll see if I can help you figured out what to tell this ' _friend'_ of yours."

"Give me a girl's name," Chat demanded.

"What? Why?"

"Because I can't use her real name, can I?" he said calmly.

"Secret identity, right?" Mari asked.

Chat merely nodded. "And there's another girl so better give me two names."

"Oh, the plot thickens," she said, grinning again. "Well there's always Chloe and Sabrina," Marinette said naming the two girls she was often confronted by.

"Uh, no," Chat said with a small shudder that Marinette didn't quite understand. "There's no way I'm saying that my friend is in love with Chloe."

Marinette giggled. "How about Rose and Juleka?" she suggested.

"Princess Fragrance and Reflekta?" Chat pondered for a moment.

"Well I could always say Alya and Marinette," she offered.

"Rose and Juleka will work fine," he was quick to say. He stood up so that he was free to move around the room. "So, to recap, my friend has liked 'Rose' for a very long time. And has told everyone that he likes her. If you ask anyone that knows him who my friend's in love with they will all point to Rose." Chat began to pace the small room. "He has been friends with Rose for a while, and while she is always nice and kind to him, she doesn't seem to like him back the way that he likes her. If you know what I mean." He looked up at Mari to see if she was following, and she nodded her understanding. "Well, my friend happens to be a hopeless romantic and so he said that he was willing to wait for her since they are still young and the timing might not be right for the two of them right now," Chat's hands were waving in the air around him "but he's hoping that someday it will be." He stopped to take a deep breath, "Now though, he's starting to find that he really likes Juleka, like really, really _like_ likes her." Marinette began to giggle and Chat waited for her to stop. "Rose has never _**said**_ that she likes my friend as anything except as a partner, er, friend and he's okay with that, and Juleka has _**only**_ been a good friend to him, but now he thinks that maybe they could be more than just friends?" Chat looked down at the floor, "So he came to me asking if telling Juleka how he's feeling would lead her to think that he's just a, a…" Chat tried to find the right word.

"A two-timing alley cat?" Marinette suggested. "With a roving eye."

Chat stopped next to the chaise scowling at Marinette who put up her hands in surrender.

"I'm not the one that came up with the expression." When Chat continued to glare she stood, nudged his arm, and smiled, "Though I happen to know that it is completely undeserved." She ruffled his hair, "You are totally a one girl kitty."

"Uh, thanks?" he said rather sheepishly.

Mari thought for a moment. "So what's the real problem, here?"

"Well, he has loved Rose for a long time, and he's..." Chat swallowed, "he's not ready to give up on her," the look he gave her was pure misery, "but he's discovered that he has really strong feelings for, for Juleka, and he doesn't know if saying something to either one of them is even a good idea." He slumped dejectedly back onto the chaise. He looked back up to her imploringly, "What do I do?" He quickly corrected, "I _mean_ , what do I tell him to do?"

Marinette had to take a moment to think. "Well I think you ought to talk to Rose first to see if…"

Chat raised a hand to interrupt. "Point of order, I'm not talking to Rose, he is."

She laughed, "Oh, right, sorry. The first thing _he_ needs to do is talk to Rose and see how she feels about their situation. Does she feel that they would ever be more than just partners?"

"Friends!"

"Yes, right, whatever," Marinette corrected. "And then ask if Rose would support his having a romantic friendship with Juleka."

Chat looked thoughtful. "I guess that might be a good first step."

Marinette sat next to him and he put his head on her shoulder.

"And then Princess?" he asked. "What do I advise him to do after that?"

"I think he should have some time where he's not telling everyone about how wonderful he thinks Rose is and how he loves her," she took his hand in hers and nuzzled the top of his head, "and if Rose is friends with Juleka, and she's okay with it, maybe she could talk to Juleka about how your friend is only a friend to her and how she hopes that he'll find someone that he can be happy with in a romantic way."

"I-I-I," Chat seemed to be a little distracted. He was busy running a thumb over Mari's hand. "I think that's probably the best advice I can give him."

"Good!" Marinette jumped up and retrieved the bowl of popcorn from her desk. She tripped on the corner of the lounger and would have landed on the floor but Chat caught her. The popcorn bowl, unfortunately, went flying and it's contents were tossed into the air.

They both looked at each other and laughed. Neither one noticing that Chat had yet to let go of Marinette.

"Looks like we're getting our own white Christmas, Chat," Mari chuckled.

"Indeed we are Princess," Chat said with a soft smile as he started dusting the fluffy kernels off her shoulders. His hand brushed through her hair as he removed a few stray pieces.

Mari looked up at him her cheeks coloring slightly as she realized how much she liked the feeling and wanted it to continue.

"I think you better have your friend talk to Rose soon," she said a quietly.

"Agreed."


	9. The Better to Love You With

Warning: Implied minor character death. If you're an animal lover this might not be the chapter for you

 _What a big heart I have_

 _The better to love you with_

Chat landed gently on Marinette's balcony and tapped on the glass of her skylight. It was nice to be able to come during the day since it was winter break. Marinette looked up from her desk and nodded for him to enter, but turned her attention back to the box in front of her.

"I'm glad you're here Chat," she said as he came into her room. "I need another set of hands."

"Certainly Princess," Chat said with a bow. "How can I help you?"

He suddenly had a small ball of gray fluff put into one hand and a miniature baby bottle thrust into the other. It was pretty clear what he was expected to do, so he worked to get the tiny kitten eating from the bottle before speaking.

"You never told me we were expecting," Chat said with a grin as his charge started to guzzle the milk. "How many did we have?" It was then he noted the tight lines on Marinette's face. "Mari, did I say something wrong?"

"No Chat," she said slowly. "There were four in the box when I found them this morning, but only three of them were even moving."

Chat's grin fell. "Oh." That didn't seem enough. "I'm sorry to hear that Princess."

Marinette nodded as she fed the kitten in her hands. "We called the shelter to see if they could take them, but there isn't any room for them or any volunteers that could give them the attention they need." She looked back up at Chat and he saw anger in her eyes that didn't seem to match the tender care she was giving. "Apparently, kittens this young need feeding every hour or two and then they need their bellies rubbed with a washcloth to get them to poop. Keeping things flowing as it were," she demonstrated on the kitten she was holding before continuing, "and they don't have enough people to do that. If we took them in they'd have to euthanize them." She took the kitten and bottle from Chat's hands and gave him another kitten from the box and a fresh bottle. "And that cold-hearted person that we talked to said it would be better to kill them now than to waste time, money, and energy on kittens that would just die anyway!"

"No!"

"Yes, that's what he said," she had to put the kitten she was holding down because her fingers were shaking. She took some deep breaths and then picked up the kitten and the washcloth. "So we went on the internet and found out what to feed them and how. Then Maman went to the store to get the ingredients, I put together the box to keep them warm and clean, and Papa worked on warming them up." She looked up at him. "They were so cold when I found them this morning. I took out some garbage, and someone had just put this box of kittens out there next to the trash!" She had put her kitten back in the box and was watching to see if the one Chat held was still eating. "They treated them like trash Chat! Like throwing away four lives was something that everyone would do."

"Oh Princess," he said as he handed the kitten and the bottle back to her. "That's just not right." He put a hand on her shoulder as she started massaging the kitten with another washcloth. "Would it be okay for me to stay and help?"

Relief showed on her face. "Oh thank you, Chat! My parents try to come up and help when they can, but…"

"But they are running a business?" he asked gently.

"Yeah."

"So what are we naming our kittens?" Chat asked brightly. "Do you know if we have boys or girls?"

"There's one girl and two boys," Marinette answered.

"And what personalities do they have?"

"Well this boy here," Marinette said as she held up a black cat with a white chest and front paws, "likes to explore. He's been quite the handful but he's so fun his antics make me laugh." She looked up at Chat. "Very similar to another black cat that I know."

"Hmmmmm," Chat said as he examined the kitten she was holding. "You sir like to make the lady laugh?" He gave a thoughtful pause, "I think you should be named Louis de Funès."

"Maybe just Louis?" Marinette suggested. "He's too little for such a big name."

"Alright," Chat agreed, "Louis it is."

Marinette gave him Louis to hold while picking up the next kitten.

"This is the big guy of the bunch," she said holding up the gray ball of fluff.

"Oh that's a Victor if ever I've seen one," Chat declared. "Marinette, can we name him Victor? Please?"

"Turn off those kitty eyes," Marinette replied. "Of course we can name him Victor."

Chat grinned as she handed him the second tiny kitten. Marinette picked up the last kitten and gently stroked the fuzzy, white forehead.

"This little girl is pretty delicate," Marinette said quietly. "I'm actually worried the most about her. She's the smallest, and she doesn't seem to be eating as well as her brothers." There was a bunch of tiny mews coming from her. "But she does seem to be the most vocal."

"Uh, well, a friend at school did a report on famous French opera singers and there's one name I remember. What do you say to Emma Calvé?"

The kitten in question seemed to up her mews right at that moment.

Marinette smiled and held the kitten up to her eye level. "Do you like that name little Emma?"

Another round of cries seemed to confirm the name for Chat and Marinette.

They spent the next hour gently stroking the kittens' foreheads and backs. And only returned them to their box when Louis proceeded to have a watery bowel movement on Chat's shoulder. Marinette insisted on cleaning up Chat's suit then turned a worried eye to the kitten.

"If he keeps that up he could get dehydrated," Marinette murmured, "And that's really not good for a kitten his size."

Chat was able to stay for two rounds of feedings before he received a text on his baton informing him of a photo shoot that Adrien would be needed for. He apologized for leaving and asked if it would be alright for him to come back later in the evening. Once he was assured that it would be okay he headed out.

It was after midnight when Chat once more tapped on Marinette's skylight. She was up as it was time to feed the kittens again.

"I've got to go warm up some formula," Marinette said, "Would you be able to watch them while I'm gone?"

"Certainly Princess," he replied as he looked down into the box.

Victor and Louis were wrestling, but little Emma was huddled in one corner of the box. He was about to reach in to pick her up when he remembered what he had read about kittens during his down times at the shoot. He hurried to the bathroom and washed his hands before returning to pick up the little girl. He used a damp cloth to remove some yellowish gunk from Emma's eyes.

"Bless you," he said as she sneezed. Then he spent the next few minutes cuddling her. "Are you being good for mama?" All he got in answer was a single tiny mew. He smiled and looked into the box. "What about you boys? Are you being good?"

"They are being feisty little terrors," was the answer from the stairs as Marinette climbed back into her room. "But I'm hoping that's a good thing." She handed Chat a bottle. "Why don't you start with Emma, since you're already holding her?"

"Gladly," Chat replied. "Come here little one," he said as he got a towel to wrap her in and then put the bottle near her mouth. Eventually she latched on and started to drink. "That's a good girl," he cooed gently. "Gotta eat up so you can give your brothers a run for their money." As Chat was burping Emma he noticed she was sneezing again. He made a worried face, but didn't say anything yet.

Chat offered to watch the kittens while Marinette got some sleep. He could see that she was exhausted. Reluctantly Marinette agreed to let him take the next feeding on his own, and then settled down on her bed to sleep. Chat took pictures and videos of the kittens. Then he played some gentle music as he took his time petting and playing with them. He was so proud when feeding time came again and he was able to feed, clean, and care for them on his own. He stayed for another hour making sure to wake up Mari after he finished feeding them and tucking them into their box.

When Marinette woke up for the next feeding her parents already had a kitten each.

"There's a message here for you Mari," her father said. "Apparently our black clad friend is concerned with Emma's crusty eyes and sneezing and has made an appointment for all the kittens at a vet clinic for first thing in the morning," he laughed as a baker's first thing in the morning was about 3 am.

"I believe the note said 8, dear," Sabine said as she started patting her kitten on the back to get it to burp.

"Oh," Marinette was still blinking the sleep from her own eyes. "That was nice of him." She looked in the box for the remaining kitten. "Come on Victor, it's time you got some breakfast."

That evening when Chat came to visit he was met by a tearful Marinette. There was no more box that he could see, but he didn't have much time to look around. Marinette was crushing him in a hug and her small sobs were starting to shake his frame.

"Marinette?" he asked as he gently patted her back.

"They're g-g-gone Chat," she cried. "Our kittens, they, they-" she was crying again.

"Hey, hey," he tried to sooth her, "It's okay to cry. Go ahead and get it all out."

Marinette sniffled for some time further. It was only when she heard a small sniff that she looked up. "Chat, are you okay?" she asked into his shoulder, she had yet to let go of him.

He sighed and gently stroked her hair. "You know my friend, Adrien Agreste?" She nodded, but didn't look into his eyes. "Sometimes he volunteers at that clinic. He's the one that got the appointment for the kittens." He had to take a few breaths before continuing. "He was with them all day, and he told me what happened to them."

"Oh," was all Marinette could say.

"B-but he told me that he was with them the whole time so they were never alone or scared," his voice was breaking but he had more to tell her, "and they were loved till the very end Mari!" He held her tight as the tears started falling down his face. "They may not have started life with much, but they were loved from the moment you found them to the end."

They clung to each other until the tears stopped. Then tissues were passed around and eyes were dried.

"Hey Chat?" Marinette said softly.

"Yeah."

"Can you stay for dinner?" At his expression she elaborated. "Maman and Papa want to thank you for helping out, and I think we all need to have some time together to remember them."

He gave a tentative smile. "I'd love to Princess."

During dinner they reminisced about the kittens who had changed their lives in such a short time. Then, in their honor, they watched "Aristocats," The antics of the three kittens in the movie made them all laugh, but sometimes eyes teared up and the tissue box was silently passed.


	10. Even Bad Chat's Can Be Good

A/N: Since it's 10/10 I will post chapter 10 today. Here's some fluff to make up for last chapter's angst

Chat is put in an interesting predicament. And the instigator is Mari's father?

 _Little red riding hood_

 _Even bad wolves can be good_

Chat was sitting on the couch in Marinette's living room with Mari on one side and Tom on the other. Sabine was walking in with a plate containing melon slices and clusters of grapes.

"Does everyone have their movie buddy?" she asked as she put the plate on the coffee table.

She went to sit on Marinette's other side, but Tom reached out a hand and grabbed her arm before she could sit.

"I've got mine," he said with a grin. "Lovebug, move down so your mama can sit between me and Chat."

Marinette smiled as she watched her parents share a quick kiss and cuddle then turned to Chat as she scooted over. "Chat? Aren't you going to move down?"

Chat had been staring at the older couple. He was drinking in the tender moment and savoring the obvious love these two had for each other.

"Hmm?" he said and then realized what he'd been asked. He blushed at being caught out, but then moved down so that there was room for Sabine to sit next to her husband.

"Alright then, let the Frankenstein movie marathon begin," Tom declared.

Chat was enchanted with the movies, but it was during one of the intense chase scenes that he was given a scare. He felt a light tapping on his shoulder and the unexpected touch made him startle.

When he looked next to him Marinette was engrossed in the movie, as was Sabine when he checked his other side. Tom, however, was looking at him with a grin on his face. Suddenly he yawned and stretched out his arms, one of them going around Sabine's shoulders. She immediately curled into the man without looking away from the screen. Tom continued to grin and waggled his eyebrows at Chat.

Was he suggesting what Chat thought he was suggesting? He gave a tentative yawn and saw Tom's smile brighten. Then he stretched an arm around Marinette's shoulder, but left it loosely draped across the back of the couch just incase she didn't care for the contact.

Marinette didn't even seem to notice what had happened, but soon she was snuggling into the side of the boy sitting next to her.

Chat looked up to see Tom giving him a thumbs up and a small nod. Then he gave his wife a kiss on the top of her head and turned back to the movie. Chat decided that a kiss might be taking things a little too far, but still took time to nuzzle his cheek on the crown of Marinette's head and went back to watching the movie.

By the end of the third movie only Chat was awake, but Sabine's eyes opened as soon as the movie ended. She gently shook Tom awake then took out her phone so she could get a picture of Marinette absolutely curled around Chat who had his hands raised as nowhere seemed safe to put them down.

"Obviously she takes after Tom," she said with a wink. "He's been a cuddler since day one."

"Guilty as charged," the big man said as he stood up and stretched. He smiled down at the two teens. "I used to carry Mari to bed when she fell asleep during movies. Do you think you could handle it? After all, I've seen you pick up cars while wearing that suit."

"Uh, yes, sir," Chat replied. He found a way to get one arm under her legs and another around her back and then carefully stood up.

"Here," Tom said as he headed toward the stairs, "I'll get the doors for you."

In a very short time Chat found himself tucking Marinette into her bed with Tom at his side.

"She looks like a sleeping princess, doesn't she?" Tom said lovingly as he gazed at his little girl.

"Yes," Chat agreed.

Tom leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead and wished her happy dreams. Then he turned to Chat. "Well...Aren't you going to kiss her good night?" He had the severest face that Chat had ever seen on the man.

Chat's face suddenly started burning but he backed away from Mari and Tom towards the ladder. "Oh, um, n-n-n-no, sir," he stammered. "I could never do that sir."

"And why not?" Tom voice was a low growl. He got nearer to Chat. "Is my daughter not good enough for you?"

At that Chat started to see red. "Of course she's good enough for me, she's even too good for me," he whispered as loud as he dared. "But she happens to be asleep, which means she hasn't told me it's okay to kiss her."

"I'm her father, and I say you can kiss her,"" Tom countered.

"With all respect, sir," there was now a coldness in his tone that sounded uncannily like his father, "you do not own her. You do not get to tell others what they can or cannot do with her body."

There was a tense silence between the two as they stared each other down. Suddenly Tom's face split into a grin. And he lunged at the unprepared boy. He caught him in a hug and carried him down the ladder into the rest of Mari's room.

"You, my lad, are 100% correct," he said as he gave Chat another bone crushing hug before putting him down. "And I'm sorry to have put you through that, but I wanted to be sure."

"Be sure?" Chat was still reeling from the hug and the rapid changes in mood.

"I wanted to be sure that you were a man I could trust with my greatest treasure," he looked in Mari's direction. "Not to say that I'd ever tell Mari who she can have as friends, but if you hadn't understood about asking first, you and I would have had a very long discussion about it." He smiled down at the boy. "And then Mari and I would have had a lot of talks about her body autonomy, and how to recognize a good friend, and signs that a person is less than trustworthy." He put a hand on Chat's shoulder. "My boy, how would you like to join me and Sabine for a midnight snack before you take off?"

"Uh, I'd like that, sir," this time there was a lot of warmth and affection in his voice.

"No need for the sir, Chat," he said as they walked to the stairs. "Tom is fine or if you prefer I also go by Papa."

As their voices faded down the stairs Marinette turned onto her side with a smile on her lips. If there was anyone that she trusted to respect and care for her it was the two men going down the steps to eat with the woman in the kitchen. All was right with her world and she felt safe and loved.


	11. I Try To Keep Satisfiedby Your Side

~Chat wants to love Mari, but she's not available, she's in love with Adrien. Wait, What?!~

 _I try to keep satisfied_

 _Just to walk close by your side_

Saturday evenings were now reserved for dinner with Marinette and her parents. Sometimes they'd play video games afterward, or there'd be movie nights. Some nights they would break out their old board games, which Chat would manage to lose spectacularly though often he'd start out far ahead. Truthfully, he was busy on most weekends, however, any free Saturday night was entirely reserved for members of the Dupain-Cheng family.

Eventually this had evolved into Marinette and Chat making dinner so that it could be ready, or nearly ready, as soon as Tom and Sabine closed up the bakery. This had started when the two teens had made a surprise Valentine's dinner for Tom and Sabine, and then had just continued from there. Chat had not done any cooking before, but Marinette was a patient teacher and soon he could wash, peel, and chop vegetables quite efficiently. They had started first with a homemade veggie pizza and had moved onto a spicy mapo tofu. Chat was surprised at the number of foods that Marinette knew how to make, and enjoyed seeing the fusion of both French and Chinese cuisine that occurred in her kitchen.

Occasionally Sabine would join them and teach both of them dishes that she had learned from her parents. Chat's favorites were the steamed dumplings. Once he showed real proficiency with making them, she taught him how to make delicious Shanghai soup dumplings. They were dumplings where the soup was inside! And though they took a long time to make, and were labor intensive, they were his absolute favorites.

Tonight they were making ratatouille followed by the movie of the same name. While Chat concentrated on making very thin slices of eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes Marinette made the flavorful sauce to go in the bottom of the pan. Then they worked together to make the patterned rings to fill the baking pan, their movements like a well rehearsed duet. Marinette topped it all off with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil, and Chat covered it with parchment before moving it to the oven. Now they just had to wait for it to cook.

Marinette turned her playlist on while they cleaned up. She claimed that music always made doing dishes bearable. Both parties were moving to the beat and enjoying dancing next to each other as they washed, rinsed, and dried the various tools used to make dinner. Then they each took a sponge and had a race for cleaning off the counter. Marinette maintained that Chat had clearly finished first while Chat responded that Marinette had more crumbs to clean and so earned more bonus points. Laughing, they decided to call it a draw, as they did most nights.

As they rinsed off the sponges before putting them away one of Jagged Stone's newest songs began to play. Marinette grabbed Chat and twirled with him into the center of the room. He responded by grabbing Mari's hands and doing some swing steps. Mari recognized them from her latest P.E. class, but didn't understand how Chat could know them. Her class was doing dance styles through the ages and had just gotten to jazz. Still, here was Chat doing triple steps and swing backs, turning her under his arm, and even sliding their raised arms down each other in a move their teacher had called "skin the snake." They continued their frenzied dancing through the next song, but were glad when a slower song finally played.

Marinette's hands were at Chat's shoulders as they gently swayed. Chat's hands were loosely held at Marinette's waist. He lowered his forehead to hers and a contented sigh escaped his lips.

"Mmmm, this is nice," Marinette murmured.

"Yeah, it is," he whispered back.

They stayed like that for a few moments more until Marinette dropped her hands and looped her arms around Chat's chest. This allowed her to snuggle her head onto his shoulder and he could completely encircle her with his arms. Now they weren't so much dancing as hugging while slightly swaying to the beat.

Chat's heartbeat was starting to increase and he was sure that Marinette could hear it from her position. He stopped moving to look down at Marinette. She looked up at him in confusion. All he could do was stare into her beautiful eyes. There was something he desperately needed to ask her.

"Marinette, may I ki-"

BeepBeep! BeepBeep! BeepBeep!

The timer was going off, though Marinette seemed to barely register it. Chat stepped back. Marinette seemed to come out of her trance and hurried over to turn off the timer. They both checked the oven and decided the food needed a few minutes more. They turned down the temperature so it wouldn't be overdone by the time the bakery was closed up, and then looked around for what to do next.

Not quite sure what to say to each other, they blushed and stumbled over words until Chat suggested putting out plates and glasses to be ready for dinner. With that done, the silence came back.

"Would you like to watch another episode of our anime while we wait for them to come up?" Marinette suggested.

"Uh, sure," Chat said as he followed her to the couch. He stopped suddenly, trying to figure out where he should sit. He didn't want to sit too close to Marinette, since she might not want that after all their awkwardness earlier, but he didn't want to sit too far away. Fortunately for Chat, Marinette solved the mystery for him by grabbing his hand and pulling him to sit close to her.

She sat back once she had forwarded the intro and snuggled into Chat's side. His arm went automatically around her shoulders with no instructions from his overthinking mind. He was only half-heartedly paying attention to the screen. He was much more invested in the story between him and this amazing woman seated at his side. He couldn't help staring at her as she watched the characters on the screen. Even at rest her face was just so expressive.

A snort escaped Marinette when there was a potentially romantic moment between the two main characters.

"What's up Princess?" Chat asked.

"It's just so frustrating," she huffed. "They obviously like each other." She pointed at the screen. "They've had all these moments where they've showed how much they trust one another and care for each other. And there's no doubt that there's some chemistry between them." She was gesturing at the screen with both hands when she said, "Sometimes I just want to grab them and tell them to kiss already!" She mimed pushing the two together repeatedly.

"Do you think that would fix things?" Chat was more than just curious to hear her answer. "It seems to me they ought to make sure they're on the same page before they start a romantic involvement."

"Maybe," Marinette said as she cuddled back into Chat, "Maybe not, but it would be a start."

Chat was thoughtful for a minute. "Marinette," he waited for her to look up and took a breath before continuing, "there's something I wanted to ask you. And I want you to know that it's absolutely okay for you to say no, okay? No pressure for you to agree if you're not okay with it. Alright?"

She gave him her full attention, and after a moment of searching his eyes, she nodded her agreement.

"Marinette, you are one of my best friends. I can't tell you how important that is to me," he smiled at her as he took one of her hands. "I, um, I like you Marinette." He looked down and then back into her eyes, "Maybe even more than like, I'm not sure." He began to rub a thumb in a circle over the back of her hand. "So...I was wondering … Would you, would let me kiss you?"

Marinette didn't say anything, didn't move for a moment. Many expressions flashed across her face, but they were too quick for Chat to identify. She looked down and shy smile crept across her lips.

"Chat-"

The front door opened and Tom and Sabine entered carrying a warm loaf of bread and a box with the remaining pastries from the day. The two young people sprang apart.

"You're here," Marinette said as she rushed to take the bread from her father. She gave both of her parents a quick kiss on the cheek.

"What did you bring for dessert?" Chat asked Sabine as he took the pastries from her. He tried to show his usual enthusiasm, but it was just his bad luck that he and Marinette kept being interrupted.

"It's a mixed bag today," Sabine said as she gave Chat a quick hug. "I'm afraid it's just a bunch of your favorites."

The boy couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. These people showed him such casual thoughtfulness that sometimes it overwhelmed him.

"The raspberry éclaire is mine," Tom said as he also gave Chat a hug, "but the rest are up for grabs."

They walked over to the table where Marinette was placing the ratatouille and took their places. Dinner was a little quiet as Marinette was not participating as much as she usually did, but it was still an enjoyable affair.

Chat had to unexpectedly leave shortly after dinner so Marinette walked with him up to her room so that he could leave through the skylight.

"Chat," Marinette said as she caught his hand before he could climb up to her balcony. "I've been thinking about your question and," she looked down again, "I, I'm not sure what to say." She took a breath. "I like you Chat. I like you a lot." She looked back into Chat's face. "I want to say yes, but…"

"But what?" Chat asked with dread.

"But there's someone else that I've liked for a long time," she said miserably. "And, well, I need time to think about this," she pulled Chat into a hug. "I might just need time to put that dream to rest. After all, he's never shown an interest in me…" Marinette trailed off before saying, "And why should I sit and dream about him when there is this wonderful, kind, strong, caring guy that really likes me right here?"

Chat rested his chin on top of Marinette's head. He tried not to sound too disappointed. "It's okay Mari. I know it's hard when you find yourself liking more than one person."

Marinette gave a short laugh. "Yeah, Ladybug told me about your talk the other day."

Chat was silent. He was reliving the most awkward conversation he'd ever had with his partner to date. He held Marinette a little tighter.

"Ch-chat?"

"Yes, princess?"

"I'm pretty sure that I'm going to want you to kiss me, just," she took a steadying breath, "Just not tonight."

He nodded his head and they broke apart. "Okay Marinette, I'll wait till you're ready." When he saw her frowning he tipped her head up with a finger. "Hey now, I told you it would be okay to say no, so why do you look so unhappy?"

"I just don't know why I'm so hung up on that other guy when the person I love most is you."

Silence reigned.

"I don't know," Chat said slowly, "but hearts don't always make much sense." He gave her a fond smile as he held her hands. "We'll work this out."

Marinette did her best to return his smile and nodded her agreement.

"We will."

Another moment of silence as they stood looking at each other.

"Um, Chat, don't you have to get home?"

"Oh, oh yeah." He lifted her hand to his lips and tenderly kissed the back. "Until next time, Princess."

"Yes Chat," she gave him a brilliant smile, "next time."

As he was pulling himself up to the balcony Marinette heard Chat grumbling about wanting to find this guy and punch him in the face for not recognizing what a great person Marinette is.

Once on the roof, Chat turned to look back into the room. "You know Marinette, if you told me who he was I could go and congratulate him on losing the best thing that's ever going to happen to him. No?"

She just shook her head.

"I could make you a side by side comparison chart so you could more easily judge between the two of us." He waggled his eyebrows.

"I do that on my own all the time," she replied with a grin.

"Well give me some kind of hint here so that I know what I'm up against," Chat said with a Cheshire grin. "Just a little something so I can know what your ideal guy is like."

"Chat, you are my ideal guy," Marinette said with a little chuckle. "He's more like my 'never gonna happen except in a dream' kind of guy."

Chat gave a little sigh. "I'd like to be that guy for you, too, Mari." He looked directly into her eyes. "You deserve your dream guy."

She just smiled and shook her head. "Dreams are all well and good, but they can't give me a hug when I need it, or a pun when I need cheering up like you do. A cat in the hand is worth two in a day dream," she said.

Chat didn't look convinced, he was saddened that Mari wouldn't have a chance to be with her crush. He started to close the skylight so that he could leave. Just before it closed completely Mari held up a hand and he paused.

"Chat…" she sighed, "Don't make me regret telling you this but ... it's Adrien … you know, Adrien Agreste."

The window slipped from his hands and clicked closed.


	12. Maybe You'll See Things My Way?

~Chat gets Mari to admit she wants Chat and the guy under the mask, even if she doesn't know him outside of the super hero costume~

 _Maybe you'll see things my way_

 _'Fore we get to Grandma's place_

Monday morning Adrien couldn't take his eyes off of Marinette. He didn't say anything more than usual because he didn't want to confuse her, but he was taking a closer look at the girl. How had he missed her before? How had he not seen the shy smiles directed at him? How had he lost so much time not being better friends with her sooner? Ugh. Adrien totally didn't deserve to be with Marinette. Good thing Chat hadn't missed the boat on that one.

Tuesday there was an akuma in the afternoon and the fight lasted well into the night as it ranged all over Paris. Chat and Ladybug had agreed that any days where there were akumas, patrols were cancelled. Adding to his frustration was the fact that Adrien still had homework to finish and he was so tired that he wasn't sure he'd be able to cross the room let alone the city, he couldn't visit Marinette on Tuesday.

Wednesday Adrien had a photoshoot all day and then there was a scheduled dinner with his father and an important client. And once again he had homework on top of his extra tutoring, so Wednesday wasn't a day he could see Marinette.

Thursday night he could only glance toward Marinette's dark window as he and Ladybug chased down an irate waiter that had been yelled at one too many times tonight.

Friday night he and Nino had planned to meet up with Alya and Marinette, but only Alya had showed up. When Nino asked where Mari was, Alya had said that Marinette was helping her parents work on a wedding cake for a family friend and couldn't come. Adrien considered ditching the other two, but he had missed spending time with them. So he stayed and Chat was again unable to visit Marinette.

Adrien had practically begged Nathalie to clear his Saturday, and the woman had done her best, but there were some obligations she couldn't get him out of, though she had been able to move them into his morning hours. It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Chat could be seen sprinting across the rooftops of Paris. He came to a sudden stop on the top of the bakery.

He'd been so eager to see Marinette that he hadn't thought how it would feel to actually be seeing her again. What if she decided she really wanted Adrien instead? It would kill him if she did, but that's still him right? So there's no way for him to lose here, right? Why did that not feel right? Chat tried to calm his thoughts and gently tapped on the skylight's glass.

"It's open!"

Chat was able to get into Marinette's room without stepping on her bed. He was something of an expert in the maneuver by now.

Chat stood and was stunned for a moment. Mari's smile when she saw him was breathtaking and he couldn't move as he took in her appearance. She was wearing a pink tank top with black cats stitched along the hem covered with a black cardigan sporting pink paw prints up one sleeve and across the shoulder. Her black skirt stopped just above her knees showing off the black cat decorated tights, and the black ballet flats she was wearing also sported pink bows. The greatest difference in Marinette's appearance was that her hair wasn't pulled back in twin tails, but hung loose, held back with a headband with soft, fuzzy black cat ears attached.

"G-good evening, Princess," he managed to stutter.

"Chat!" Marinette ran and enveloped the boy in a crushing hug. "I've missed you," she said quietly as she held onto him.

He hugged her back. Gently stroking her hair he murmured, "I've missed you, too Mari."

They stood this way for some time just enjoying each other's presence with no need to talk.

Eventually Mari moved back so that she could look at Chat. She reached up a hand to caress Chat's face, but stopped short of actually touching him.

"Is it okay if I..?" Marinette's voice trailed off.

Chat just put his cheek into her palm and nuzzled it a bit.

"A week has never seemed so long," Chat groaned into her hand. When Marinette laughed he looked and saw her smiling once again at him.

"Truer words have never been spoken," she said. "Let's sit down for a bit and just enjoy the quiet," she suggested.

Chat nodded and then joined Marinette on her chaise.

"I like your outfit, Mari," he said as he wrapped one arm around her and pulled her closer into his side.

"Thank you," Marinette said with a chuckle. "It's inspired by my favorite superhero."

"Oh?" Chat said in mock surprise. "And who might that be?"

Marinette nudged him with her shoulder. "Surely you've heard of the great Chat Noir. Savior of Paris? Partner with Ladybug? Famous for leaping across the rooftops of Paris in skin-tight black leather," she grinned again at him. "Does any of that sound familiar?"

"Vaguely familiar," Chat conceded as he pretended to think hard.

"Chat Noir, good with kids and kittens?"

"Nope, you lost me on that one."

"Chat is devastatingly handsome and entirely too humble," she said as she moved onto his lap. "He's sometimes accused of being a flirt, but he's really just a gentleman and people have forgotten what that looks like. I've never seen him give an insincere compliment."

Chat just shook his head, "Nope, I'm sure I would have heard of that."

"Monsieur Noir is good at out running akuma butterflies and tieing knots on scarves," Marinette thought back, "And he's got a way with applying eyeliner and making a girl feel like the most beautiful woman in the world."

"But you are the most beautiful-" he was cut off by a finger being placed over his lips.

"What if I mentioned he happens to be one of my very best friends?" She picked up the hand not cradling her side and wrapped it around her waist. "Does that jog any memories?"

"I'm beginning to think that he sounds like someone I've heard of," he was now gazing into those startling blue eyes.

Marinette laced her hands behind Chat's neck. "What if I told you that he is the only man in all of Paris, all of France, even all the world that I want to kiss me?"

Chat's breath caught in his throat. "Do you mean that Marinette?" he whispered.

"I do."

Immediately Chat was pressing his lips to Marinette's. The kiss started slowly, tender at first, but their caresses began to be more heated, more passionate. Finally Chat broke their connection.

"I'd have to say that Chat Noir must be the luckiest person in the world."

"Oh no," Marinette said as she leaned back in to kiss him again, "that would be me."

Later, as they sat cuddled together watching a movie on Marinette's computer, Chat asked the question that had been at the front of his mind.

"What about Adrien?"

Marinette looked up at him in confusion. "What about him?"

"Are you," he gulped, "Are you sure you want to choose me over him?"

Marinette turned fully toward him. "Listen Chat, he's my friend, and he'll always have a special place in my memory as my first real, full-blown crush, but you," she put a hand up to cradle his face, "you are my first real love." She kissed his cheek. "I've thought a lot about this all week, and you, you have held that place in my heart for a long time now." She kissed his cheek again. "Mutual love and respect are so much better than one-sided pining."

"Oh, thank God," Chat said as he rested his forehead against hers. "I spent the whole week coming up with a presentation that compared Adrien and me, and I couldn't find a good reason for you to not choose him."

"Chat," Marinette looked horror struck, "how dare you say that?" She held his face in both her hands. "You are kind, intelligent, resourceful, considerate, handsome, sweet, and funny. You are a match for Adrien any day, my love." She gave him a quick peck on his forehead. "I love you my silly kitty."

"And I love you, my Princess." Chat leaned in and captured her lips once again.

They were back in Marinette's room after having dinner with Tom and Sabine, who had been overjoyed to find out Chat and Marinette were officially dating. They had laughed when Mari told them, saying they had been under the impression there was such a relationship between them for some time now. Marinette had blushed and Chat had been speechless.

They were snuggling together on the chaise when a thought hit Marinette.

"Did you really make a presentation Chat, or was that just you being dramatic?"

"Me? Dramatic?" he said as he feigned a swoon. "How could you say such a thing?" He booped her nose before continuing, "Oh, I made the presentation, Mari," his face completely serious. "I scoured every teen magazine's on-line archives and all the Ladyblog's articles to get information on Adrien and me." He gave a slight shudder. "That is an experience I will never do again." He gave her a quick squeeze. "I made sure to include illustrations, charts, the whole ball of yarn." He nuzzled the side of her face.

"But…" she was at a loss for words, "Why?"

"I wanted you to see that there are other options, better options, out there for you," he said quietly.

She couldn't have that! "Chat Marvolo Noir! I did not just hear you say that there is anyone better for me than you." She sat up and turned so that they were face to face. "After all the time I've spent talking with you, all the time we've played games, and cooked, and, and made fun of old movies together. How can you still think that I haven't looked over my options and chosen you? That I don't know how well your strengths balance out my weaknesses. That I haven't seen and felt how much better my life is with you in it. I don't know _**what**_ I have to do to convince you that you are the best person to be by my side, but I'm going to spend every day from now on to show you that you **are** that person."

Chat sat looking at her in stunned silence.

"Did...did you just call me the dark lord?" he asked slowly.

Marinette gave an exasperated sigh, "It seemed appropriate at the time. Did you hear anything else I said?"

Chat nodded. "It's just that I've never thought of myself as a death eater."

"Chaaaaaat," Marinette said, "You are not a death eater. In fact, you are quite the opposite. You are full of life and laughter. You have such compassion for others and patience with me that I am constantly amazed that you really exist." She snuggled into his embrace. "Please, please believe me when I say that you are the greatest, and I don't want to be with anyone else."

"Marinette," Chat said quietly, "I believe you, but you don't know me. Or you don't know all of me," he rested his chin on her head. "You don't know who is under this mask, or what I do when I'm not wearing this suit, or what my family is like and if you like them at all. Do you know how much danger you'll be in if anyone finds out that I care this much for you?"

"Firstly, it doesn't matter who you are without that mask, you are still you to the core, and that is who I love." She kissed his cheek with several light kisses. "Secondly, I can't believe that anyone who is an awful person would be entrusted with your miraculous, so you're stuck with me believing that you are just as awesome outside of the suit as you are wearing it." She paused to nibble along his ear, "What number am I on?"

"Three," Chat supplied helpfully though he had to think hard about the question.

"Thank you," she said nuzzling his neck. "Thirdly, your family is a bridge we'll have to cross once I'm allowed to know who you are. I love you, and if they can't accept that, they will just have to get over it!"

Chat was taken by surprise with how fierce she was while saying that. "What about number four?" he asked as he melted under her ministrations.

"Number four?" She kissed his nose. " … Fourthly, is that even a word?" She pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Well fourthly, I will be in danger as long as Hawkmoth is attacking Paris, so I refuse to allow him to keep me from loving you! I am going to love you Chat, danger or no. You might as well accept it," she kissed along his jaw, "I'm yours until.. Until… until you don't want me anymore."

He couldn't have that! He pressed his lips to hers hoping to convey in this one gesture just how much he cared for her, how long he'd loved her, and that he would always want her. She was smiling when he pulled away. Message received.

"So you're saying that you don't care who I am under this mask?"

"That's what I'm saying."

"No matter who I may be?"

"Yes, Chat."

"It doesn't matter how poor or ignorant I am outside of this mask?"

"Well we both know that you have gained some skill with chopping vegetables so you could always work in a kitchen," Marinette teased.

"Or how rich and snobby my family is?"

"I love you Chat, no matter who you are, no matter what your family is like, no matter what!"

"What if I am really Chloe Bourgeois?"

The look of horror that crossed Marinette's face was priceless, and Chat began to laugh. The horror was quickly replaced by a smirk.

"Then I'd have to say that Chloe's kisses almost make up for how horribly she behaves outside of the mask."

Chat's face began to burn with a blush, and Marinette began to laugh.

"What if I'm really Adrien?" he asked quietly.

Marinette snorted. "What if I'm really Ladybug?" She gave the blond headed boy another kiss.

"If you were Ladybug then I'd say I was truly the luckiest man in the world to have fallen for you twice," he breathed into her ear.

"I thought I told you," Marinette whispered against his lips, "loving you means I'm the luckiest person in the world."


End file.
